GAME NOTES: The fifth-ranked USC Trojans will attempt to clinch the Pac-10 title and a spot in the Rose Bowl with a victory over the UCLA Bruins this weekend.

USC crushed Notre Dame last Saturday by a 38-3 final to extend its winning streak to eight games. The club is now 27-0 in November games under head coach Pete Carroll and has beaten the Fighting Irish in seven straight meetings, the longest streak versus UND in the 80-year history of that series. By virtue of Oregon State's loss to Oregon last weekend, the Trojans now control their own destiny. If they are able to beat UCLA this weekend, which is certainly expected, they will capture their seventh straight conference title and earn the right to face Penn State in the Rose Bowl. The only way USC would not take on the Nittany Lions is if Carroll's Trojans earn a bid to the national title game, which seems unlikely at this point.

As for UCLA, it has posted a 4-7 record under first-year head coach Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins needed to beat Arizona State last weekend to keep their bowl hopes alive, but costly turnovers led to a 34-9 loss to the Sun Devils. With only pride on the line, it will be interesting to see how Neuheisel's troops respond this weekend.

USC owns a 42-28-7 all-time series lead over UCLA, and Carroll is 6-1 all-time versus the Bruins.

USC hasn't been quite as explosive offensively as in recent years, but the team is still averaging a healthy 38.4 ppg and 450.8 total ypg. The Trojans are gaining over 200 yards per contest both rushing and receiving, proof of their balance. Considering the fact that they are averaging 5.4 yards per rushing attempt and 13 yards per pass completion, it is obvious that they have had success via both means of attack.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez has enjoyed great success under center, as he has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,525 yards and 28 touchdowns against only nine interceptions. Rather than rely on one receiver to carry the load, Sanchez has spread the ball around efficiently to many capable options. Keep an eye on Patrick Turner, as he has nine touchdowns to his credit.

As for the ground attack, USC has three players who have rushed for over 500 yards. C.J. Gable has 601 yards and eight touchdowns, while Stefon Johnson has rushed for 595 yards and eight scores. USC racked up 449 total yards against Notre Dame last week, but Sanchez was picked off twice and backup Mitch Mustain was intercepted once in limited duty.

Clearly, mistakes must be avoided this weekend with so much on the line. "We've never asked our quarterback, since we got here, to be the star player and to carry the load and carry the team and our hopes on their shoulders, but to be the point guard in the offense and do the things that our offense calls for, to mix the ball around, to do things to get us winning ways," said Carroll recently. "A big aspect of that is to not give the football to our opponent."

Heading into this season, many expected the USC defense to be strong, but the unit has undoubtedly exceeded everyone's expectations. The Trojans have allowed only 10 touchdowns all season and an NCAA-low 7.8 ppg. Foes are gaining a mere 86.5 rushing ypg against USC, which is yielding only 2.6 yards per attempt. The Trojans have been stellar against the pass as well, allowing just three touchdowns while intercepting 16 passes and holding opponents to 8.2 yards per completion. USC has 25 takeaways to its credit, and the team has permitted just 28 percent success on third-down conversion attempts.

Prey Maualuga leads USC with 68 total tackles, and he has two interceptions to his credit. He is just one of many NFL-caliber performers on defense for coach Carroll.

The Trojans may have been at their best in last weekend's romp over Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish finished the contest with only four first downs and 91 total yards. USC came up with three takeaways and allowed a mere 41 passing yards on 11 completions.

The UCLA offense deserves the vast majority of the blame for the loss to Arizona State last time out, as the Sun Devils scored a school-record four defensive touchdowns in that contest. Quarterback Kevin Craft threw three interceptions, all three of which were returned for touchdowns. ASU also returned a fumble for a score. "It was demoralizing," said Neuheisel of the four defensive touchdowns allowed. "We were trying to keep the team together. We said we're going to stick together, and I think the defensive players and staff are doing that."

Craft did finish with 204 yards through the air, but the bad greatly outweighed the good for the signal caller. In fairness to Craft, he wasn't supposed to be the team's starting quarterback this season, but injuries to both Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan forced the junior into duty.

UCLA tried the establish the run, but the team gained only 89 yards on 35 rushing attempts. Overall this season, Craft has thrown 19 interceptions against only seven touchdown passes. He has connected on 56.8 percent of his attempts for 2,252 yards and poses little threat as a runner. The team's leading rusher has just 358 yards, while the top receiver has 427 yards. Clearly, there is no offensive player for UCLA who is going to scare USC. The Bruins are averaging 18.6 ppg and 294.7 total ypg, including 86.0 ypg on the ground.

It is hard to imagine the UCLA defense playing any better than it did against Arizona State last weekend, as the Sun Devils only finished with 122 total yards, including 21 rushing yards on 24 attempts. The Bruins had three sacks and held ASU to 2-of-13 success on third-down conversion attempts.

Opponents are scoring 29.1 ppg against UCLA this season while gaining 324.6 total ypg. Craft's turnovers have often put the defense in bad situations, so that has to be kept in mind when evaluating the unit. Still, foes are gaining 4.4 yards per rushing attempt and 11.0 yards per pass completion, so there is certainly room for improvement.

Brian Price leads UCLA with 13 TFLs, and Korey Bosworth is tops with 7.5 sacks. As for Reggie Carter, he leads the club with 76 total tackles.

This one will get ugly in a hurry, as USC will pound the Bruins. The Trojans are far more talented than their city rivals in every aspect of the game.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: USC 49, UCLA 7